(Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
After a nice hot streak at midseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers have leveled off, and they have fallen to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Optimism that they could make a deep playoff run has been replaced by consternation about their immediate future following the postseason.
A lot of that has surrounded the fact that Donovan Mitchell, their best player, can become a free agent in 2025 and may want out of Cleveland.
As a result, Marc Stein said, per NBACentral, the Cavs may be forced to trade Mitchell soon in order to get some value for him.
The Cavs may be forced to trade Donovan Mitchell if he doesn’t agree to an extension this summer, per @TheSteinLine
“Mitchell will be entering the final guaranteed year of his current contract next season if there’s no extension, leading to a growing belief among rival teams… pic.twitter.com/ejQDPlMVls
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 11, 2024
Mitchell was traded to the Cavs prior to last season by the Utah Jazz, and he instantly took the Cavs from an upstart play-in tournament team to a dangerous squad that finished fourth in the Eastern Conference.
But when the Jazz made him available for trade, many thought he would be headed to the New York Knicks, who were aggressively pursuing him at the time.
Mitchell is originally from Westchester County, which is no more than an hour north of Midtown Manhattan, and rumor has it he wants to return to the Tri-state Area and play for the Knicks, who have been building an impressive team.
Despite the uncertainty about his future, Mitchell is still putting up his usual numbers, although they have fallen since the All-Star break due to injury.
If he were to end up with the Knicks, fans in that market would likely celebrate hard, especially given the team’s troubles for the last two decades, while Cavs fans would experience that familiar feeling of heartbreak.
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